Cap-shape retainer



' April 29, 1924. 1,491Q858 W. R. HILL GAP SHAPE RETAINER Filedsept. 10 1923 atto: uit? Patented. Apr. 29, i924.

Unire I I 191,53 PATENT QFFICE.

WILLIAM R. HILL, 0F WAL'II-IAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

CAP-SHAPE RETAINER.

Application filed September 10, 1923.

It is well known that manufacturers and dealers in caps place elongated wads of paper in the forward portion of the .crown of the cap in order to maintain the same in its full rounded shape and to thus support the entire crown and prevent the same from sagging forwardly uponfthe visor. These wads of paper become packed and loose and are frequently lost during the handling of the caps and cannot well be retained in the caps by the wearery after purchase. The result is that the cap immediately loses its shape and ilattens'down at the front of the crown and imparts a drawn and wrinkled appearance to the crown of the cap. v

It is an object of this invention to overcome these disadvantages with a device which may be originally placed in the hat by the manufacturer and which will at all times hold the hat in proper shape and which cannot become broken, packed or lost during shipment and handling of the caps,

and which after the hat is purchased remains as a part thereof and will not be removed by the wearer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a crown filler for the front of a hat which may be made separately and independently of the hat and may be applied not only to new hats, but also to caps already in use and manufactured.

Another object of the invention is to provide an open work flexible frame which will yieldingly hold the front of the crown of a hat in shape and which is provided with means for positively securing the devlce in the hat without interfering with the free flexing of the device in adjusting the cap to the head.

The invention further aims at the provision of a wire coil filler for the front of the crowns of caps which has its ends so constructed as to provide pins for engaging and penetrating the lining of the cap and which guards the pins to prevent acci ental Serial NO- 662,025.

disengagement of the lining from the pins and also prevents the points of the pins from protruding through the outer wall of the cap or from projecting inwardly.

The above and various other objects and advantages of this invention will be described and understood from the following detailed description of the present preferred construction, the same being disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a cap having a filler constructed according to the present invention therein, the figure being partly broken away to show the filler.

Fig. 2 is a top plan View o-f the same, parts being shown in section, and l Fig. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged sectional view at one end of the filler shown attached to the lining of the cap.

.Referring to the drawing, 10V designates the crown of a cap which is of conventional form and may have a lining 11. The crown 10 at its forward lower edge is providedwith a visor 12 overwhich the front portion of the crown 10 is adapted 'to extend.

The natural shape of the front 13 of the crown is rounded asr shown in Fig. 1, and in order to maintain the crown insuch form a spiral spring 14C is fitted in the front end of the crown and is of sufficient length to eX- tend from side to side aro-und the front of the crown. The coil 14 is relatively stiff so as to maintain its shape and to hold the crown from collapsing, particularly when the hat is crushed or pulled tightly on the head. The coil 14C is relatively open, or has its convolutions spaced widely apart to afford proper circulation and to prevent the pocketing of dust and the like in the crown.

To hold the coil or filler in place, each end of the coil is bent inwardly lengthwise of the coil and at the outer'side thereof to provide a pin or penetrating point 15 adapted to pierce the lining 11. This pin 15 passes against the inner side of the next adjacent helix 16 of the spring which serves as a guard to prevent the end of the pin from projecting through the wall of the crown 10 and from pulling outwardly as the lining 11 is drawn away from the filler. It will be noted that when putting the device in place it is necessary to stretch the spring so that the ends of the prong may be passed through the lining and that after the prongs have been passed through the lining the spring will contract to its normal condition and hold the lining in engagement with the prongs.

As shown to advantage in Fig. 3 a portion of the lining 11 is bulged inwardly to receive the pin 15 therethrough and is held in'such bulged or crimped shape between the two end helices of the spring` 11i.V

1t will be'appreciated that this cap shaped retainer may be quickly inserted in the caps after they are manufactured and may be vadjusted so as to it more or less snugly Within the front portion 13 of the crown by positioning the pins 15 at desired `points through the lining 11.

Itis apparent that when the device is in 4place it will round out the front edge 13 of theV cap and will yieldingly hold it in its Vtrue shape and at the same time will permit the crown 10 to be momentarily drawn out of shape while the cap is fitted to the head. The spring however will quickly return to normal position and return the crown 10 back to shape.

It is of course understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of size, construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of the invention without departing from the spirit thereof, these changes being restricted only by the scope of the following claims. Y

WhatV is claimed is:

1. A shape retainer for caps comprising 'a resilient open frame Work curved to the Vconfiguration ofthe edge of the crown of the cap and adapted to fit in the forward traction of the filler member.

V3. A shape retainer for caps comprising. a filler member having spaced 'helices at opposite ends and prongs on the extremities of the filler member `returned'baclrvvardly across the inner sides of said helices, saidY` prongs being adapted to penetrate the side portions of the crown of the hat and said helices providing guards to hold the lining on Vsaid prongs.v

. 1. A shape retainer for caps comprising a coil of wire adapted to be inserted in the crown of ahat at the4 front thereofV and over the visor, the wire of said coil at each end being returned within the coil at the outer side thereof to form a pin at each end of the coil and with the pins extending across the inner'sides of adjacent convolutions, said pins being adapted to penetrate side portions of the crown crimped into the space between said convolutions adjacent the pins.

wrLLiaM R. H11/L. 

